Human beings have devised words in script form for representing the contents of their vocal communication and intellectual pursuits. The computer with its binary code can hold, process and reproduce information in audio-visual form avoiding the written word. Audio-visual form may be more convenient than the written word for many purposes. However, the written word may not yet be avoidable altogether and may well be more practical in many situations.
Newspapers and periodicals continue to be popular, though with crowding of information, type sizes tend to be reduced. Reading fine print is strainful to the eyes, especially within transportation systems which are not vibration free or with advancing age.
In the world of commerce, industry, business, management and other professions there is an increasing tendency to tabulate and present information in sets of predesigned forms. A tabulated display of text (including numeric values) on screen, unlike a serial replay of voice file or audio-video recording, allows the user to skim across the display screen at his or her own pace to spot, read and comprehend portions in isolation or to read related portions back and forth recurrently for overall comprehension without changing the display. Forms essentially entail demarcation of columns or rows to predetermined sizes--e.g., in spreadsheets, database files or other application packages. Accommodation of text strings of varying length into predetermined columns or rows of fixed length is problematic. Some solutions offered in computer software are:
a) manual editing for abbreviation, PA0 b) change or adjustment of column width or row height and PA0 c) synonym search and replacement with any shorter synonym. PA0 a) use of glossaries for replacement of words or phrases with word abbreviations or acronyms, PA0 b) deletion of blank spaces separating words (in excess of one), PA0 c) deletion of all blank spaces separating any two words in a line, after capitalizing the initial of the second word, PA0 d) deletion of blank space(s) around punctuation characters, PA0 e) deletion of all vowels from word, PA0 f) deletion of all vowels from word, excluding the first character, PA0 g) truncation of word or text string, PA0 h) reduction of space between lines of text, PA0 i) finer crafting of fonts, using proportional spacing, PA0 j) compression, size reduction or congesting of characters and PA0 k) vertical or horizontal scrolling of text interactively (in display). PA0 a) to devise phonetic abbreviation criteria, rules and methods to be used in preference to or in addition to the conventional or known abbreviation methods, PA0 b) to devise fine controls for abbreviation methods including for conventional or known abbreviation methods, and PA0 c) to allow the end user to make intelligent and optimal use of these methods and controls in accordance with personal or knowledge domain specific preferences, without requiring any programming skills. The preferences may be as regards predefinition of abbreviation database, choice of abbreviation options and control parameters and delimitation of segments for special handling. Each individual user should be able to instantly abbreviate text from any source entirely in accordance with his or her own personal preferences. PA0 1. selecting one or more abbreviatable words from the text, PA0 2. prioritizing replacement of commonly used acronyms and word abbreviations over less commonly used acronyms and word abbreviations, PA0 3. using the less commonly used acronyms and word abbreviations only if the other abbreviation methods do not yield the required reduction, PA0 4. converting sequences of enumeration words in the text into sequences comprising numeric characters and punctuations, PA0 5. replacing a sequence of alphabets in any abbreviatable word with a corresponding shorter sequence, PA0 6. deleting one or more alphabets from any abbreviatable word, PA0 7. checking length of abbreviatable words to ensure that abbreviatable words with length greater than a predetermined minimum word length limit are subject to abbreviation, PA0 8. truncating abbreviatable words and text, if necessary, PA0 9. dealing with pre-defined delimited segments in an exceptional manner, for example: PA0 10. determining the points of separation while abbreviating text into predetermined number of rows of predetermined row width, if the points of separation have not been pre-defined before abbreviating text, PA0 11. controlling abbreviation of text in accordance with abbreviation control parameters, PA0 1. abbreviation data list means: PA0 2. abbreviation option means: PA0 3. abbreviation control parameter means: PA0 4. enumeration words conversion means: PA0 a) Text, comprising a string, into abbreviated text string of predetermined or undefined abbreviated text length. PA0 b) Text, comprising a string delimited into several portions with user supplied row separator(s) (i.e., a unique delimitation character such as a vertical bar), into an abbreviated text string comprising several rows of predetermined equal length. PA0 c) Text, comprising a string without any user supplied row separator(s), into an abbreviated string comprising predetermined number of rows of predetermined equal length, without splitting of words between rows except to minimize word truncation. PA0 d) Text, comprising long multiple line textual matter (e.g., newspaper reports, essays, speeches and the like), into abbreviated text of predetermined width. PA0 1. Improved acronym and word abbreviation replacement method: PA0 2. Improved alphabets deletion method: PA0 3. Improved truncation methods: PA0 1. Delimitation of segments with unique characters for special handling--namely: PA0 2. Phonetic abbreviation methods: PA0 3. Enumeration words conversion methods: PA0 4. Abbreviation replacement methods: PA0 5. Truncation methods: PA0 a) user created abbreviation data file version, PA0 b) control options and PA0 c) other control parameters PA0 1. In computer screens: PA0 2. In Web sites: PA0 3. In newspaper columns: PA0 4. In pagers: PA0 5. In control panels: PA0 6. In Television screens: PA0 7. In billboards: PA0 8. In teleprompters: PA0 9. In publication of books: PA0 10. In electronic data bank, database, encyclopedia, dictionary, glossary etc: PA0 11. In search engines:
These solutions require user interference with discretion and the results may not be uniform, at each occurrence of the same problem.
There is increasing use of computers for word processing and for a variety of other applications with precise and consistent fonts. The miniaturization of computers is leading to hand-held personal computers packed with tremendous inbuilt or accessible computing power and a variety of software applications with stored data apart from direct and instant access to the information highway. However, the display unit cannot be subjected to unlimited miniaturization due to the physical limitations of the human eye in reading text or graphics. The display space is proving to be a serious constraint; and methods apart from miniaturization need to be found to overcome the display unit constraint.
Conventional methods and prior art which are being used to accommodate more text in display or print include:
U.S. Pat. No. 5,691,708 includes an abbreviation command, controlled by five parameters, used prior to placement of text message in buffer for abstraction. The first parameter allows use of word abbreviation or acronyms from an abbreviation text file which is a common practice. There are no control features to prioritize acronym replacement over word abbreviation replacement, to prioritize commonly used acronyms or word abbreviations over those which are less commonly used and to use less commonly used acronyms or word abbreviations only if other methods do not yield the desired reduction. The second and the third parameters allow deletion of all vowels from words excluding or including the first characters. There are no control features to ensure that deletion of vowels from words does not render them unrecognizable, nor to allow the user to be selective as to which vowels or other less significant alphabets are open for deletion.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,486,857 is a "Display System For The Suppression And Regeneration Of Characters In A Series Of Fields In A Stored Record". "Suppression" comprises the methods of vowel deletion and truncation. There are no control features to ensure that the use of these methods does not render the contents of the fields unrecognizable.
Certain rules for development of abbreviations as speedy inputs to computers to obtain the full text are contained in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,623,406, 5,305,205, 4,969,097 and 4,760,528. But these abbreviation rules are mechanistic and suitable only for computer processing and not for easy recognition by the users.
The method of expansion and resizing of data fields in forms as contained in U.S. Pat. No. 5,450,538 may not always be practicable or convenient.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,231,579 covers methods of compression, size reduction or congesting of characters; and these methods are strainful to the eyes.
Modern word processors with finely crafted fonts and using proportional spacing have fairly exhausted further scope for compacting of screen fonts and printer fonts.
Unlike the optical faculty which cannot be stretched beyond a point, the intellectual faculty to associate symbols or words with concepts, to interpret occurrences of words according to context and to recognize words in abbreviated forms can be cultivated almost without bounds. Such cultivation, training or practice through conscious and deliberate effort results in accrual to subconscious (and hence effortless) competencies.
Word abbreviations are recognized by common usage and repetitive association with the original words. A reader or writer is capable of associating printed or written symbols with spoken sounds. A listener is capable of associating spoken sounds with the objects, processes and concepts they represent. A silent reader is capable of directly associating printed or written symbols with the objects, processes or concepts they represent.
The spoken word is often a combination of several sounds. In many written languages each alphabet represents a single basic sound--though in English some alphabets--e.g., c, g, h, n, r and the vowels--are pronounced differently or are silent depending on their context. Phonetically all sounds are not equally significant and it is possible to classify each alphabet based on its usual phonetic significance. This would provide a criterion for prioritizing deletion of less significant alphabets from within words for progressive abbreviation with minimal loss of phonetic content. Such a criterion together with other complementary criteria can provide an alternative of automated phonetic abbreviation to the commonly used word or phrase abbreviation which may not necessarily be phonetic abbreviation.
Phonetic abbreviations would be quite convenient to users, when commonly used acronyms or word abbreviations are not well established or are not known to the users. By and large, only a few of all the words in any language have commonly used abbreviations; and it is necessary to devise alternate methods of word abbreviation for wider application.
Consequently, there is a clear and urgent need: